I’ve been talking about fire safety in different ways all week. Fire Prevention Week shouldn’t be the only time you talk about fire safety, of course. Using the storybooks that I mentioned and others like them is a good way to keep fire safety part of your year round discussion. A book specifically dedicated to fire safety is also a good way to make sure your family knows what to do if a fire emergency occurs at your house.

Enter: Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog by Firefighter Dayna Hilton.

I “met” Firefighter Dayna and Sparkles online shortly after Stop, Drop and Blog was launched. Hailing from Arkansas, they teach their local children about fire safety through their fire department. They don’t stop there! If you have Sprout, the PBS channel for kids, you might have seen a mention or two (or more) about Sparkles this week. They’re serious (and fun) about spreading the message of fire safety.

That’s why they sent us their book to read. I’ll be honest; I love the book. What says firefighter more than a dalmatian on a fire truck? The pictures are bright, vivid and go with the descriptive information on the page. The book teaches children (and parents) to know the sound of their smoke alarm, how to get out of the house (go low under smoke), to have a plan and a preset meeting place outside and, which is a very important thing, not to be afraid of firefighters. One of our adult friends admits that he was afraid of firefighters when he was a kid. Not good! We need to teach our children that firefighters are our friends and that if they show up, they’re only there to help!

If your kid are like mine, they might also like the audio book which includes Sparkles’ theme song! Fun!

I just can’t stress the importance of teaching fire safety at home with your own children. Yes,  your schools likely did a lesson or more on fire safety this week. Next week they’ll be on to something else. Your children need to know how to get out of your house in various ways. Your children need to know the sound of your own smoke detector. Your children need to know that you know all of this as well.

And that’s why we’re giving away two copies of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, the audio book, some cards with Sparkles picture and a First Alert smoke detector pack. What all is included?

Two winners will receive a copy of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog book and audio books by Firehouse Dog Publishing. This fun and educationally sound book is autographed by Firefighter Dayna and “pawed” by Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. To date, the book has been credited with saving the lives of two children and their families. Inspired by her work as a firefighter and by the love of her four-legged friend, Firefighter Dayna set out to create a heart-warming story about Sparkles.

Through the book, children learn the adventures of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog while at the same time learn valuable fire safety tips, which empower them to stay fire safe in case of fire. These tips include, (a) recognizing the firefighter as a helper and a friend, (b) knowing the sound and purpose of a smoke alarm, (c) learning how to crawl low under smoke, and (d) understanding the importance of practicing a home fire drill using an escape map. Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is based on the latest fire safety research for young children by Oklahoma State University’s Fire Protection Publications.

The winner will also receive life saving products from First Alert, including a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm, Tundra™ Fire Extinguishing Spray and two-story escape ladder. Prize package value $135.00.

That’s a big prize pack! How do you enter?

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me your kids’ ages and what they know about fire safety as of yet. You may do this once.

Bonus entries:

2. Copy/paste the following in your twitter stream: Win a fire safety prize pack worth over $135 with @FireMom and @sparklestfsd: bit.ly/sU2XO …Be sure to leave a comment here in case I miss your tweet! You may do this as many times as you think your followers will tolerate!

3. Blog about this giveaway on your public blog, linking back to this post. Leave a comment here with your URL so I can be sure to find it.

Restrictions: Limited to US residents.

The giveaway will be open until October 23, 2009 at noon. The winner will be pulled via random.org and contacted via email. You will have 24 hours to respond or I will pull a new winner.

If you’ve learned anything this week on Stop, Drop & Blog I hope that it is that fire safety is both important and easy for you to teach at home. If you ever have any questions about fire safety and kids, please don’t hesitate to ask. In the meantime, best of luck in this giveaway!

(Our winners were Jennifer and Mandy. We had two Mandy-entrants. I linked to avoid confusion. They have been emailed!)

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Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book and the CD. We would have posted this giveaway without such a thing as we have been fans of Sparkles for years!

This week is Fire Prevention Week. If you have children in some form of school, you might see them come home with papers on fire safety. You might hear that a fire truck has visited their school or that they took a walk to the local fire station. While the involvement of firefighters and fire departments in our kids’ school is beyond beneficial, the truth is that you can start at home, well before your kids head to preschool. It’s never too early to start talking about fire safety. This week I’ll be bringing you tips, book reviews and other great things about fire safety.

Today I though I would bring you some links so that you can utilize the Internet as you teach your children about the importance of fire safety. Even very young children can utilize Internet sites, whether for games, for reading or for printing coloring pages. All they need is you to help them locate the sites, work on whatever the site offers and to explain the importance of each site and safety tip. Here are some of my favorites.

1. The National Fire Prevention Week website actually has some great resources for parents and kids. Things like the Fire Safety Inspection Checklist (.pdf) and the Fire Safety Information card are great activities to complete with older children. The arcade on site provides for a fun way to bring a discussion about fire safety into your learning process. For the youngest set, a coloring page with Sparky is made available that highlights the important things to remember to prepare for and in the midst of a fire emergency.

2. Sprout, the PBS kids channel, has a great Fire Safety Week program going on right now, including on their website. This site provides more coloring pages, including a counting one, a Fireman Sam one and some others. (A fun thing on the Sprout site allows for you to upload a picture of your kids’ artwork once it has been completed for others’ viewing pleasure on the website! Cool!) There are also some videos on their Fire Safety page.

3. USFA Kids (US Fire Administration) has a great site that combines pertinent information (Home Fire Safety, Smoke Alarms, and Escaping from a Fire) with some games (Crossword Puzzles, Coloring Pages, a test to be a Jr. Fire Marshal among other things). I found this site to be particularly easy to navigate for a computer-independent child who wants to learn on her own.

4. Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is one of my favorite programs regarding fire safety. Sparkles’ owner, Firefighter Dayna, is passionate about fire safety (just like we are!). They’re actually part of the Fire Safety Week on Sprout this year! Their site offers more activity pages, GREAT fire safety videos and crafts.

These are just some great online resources for you, as a parent, to help your children understand the importance of fire safety. As a parent you need to know these things as well. First and foremost, know your house’s floor plan and make a fire escape plan should an emergency occur. Teach things as simple as “stop, drop and roll” and the importance of getting low should the hallway be filled with smoke. As you help your child navigate the online resources for learning about fire safety, make sure you’re up-to-date on all of your knowledge. Your family’s lives depend on it!

Tomorrow I will have a review of some younger child storybooks that also highlight some fire safety points. Be sure to tune in all week as I bring you various tips, fun pictures and other pertinent facts on fire safety. (Also, as this is October and Halloween is just around the corner, check out our review of the best firefighter costume on the market right now, pictured above.)

The 4th of July is upon us! My American readers are likely heading to picnics, parties and fireworks displays at one point or another this weekend. While it’s easy to get caught up in the sun and the fun and the general celebration, take a few moments now to go over some safety tips for your weekend.

1. Be safe with fireworks and obey your local laws. What’s that mean? Know what is and is not legal in your area. If it’s not legal, don’t use it. The list of tips at FireworksSafety.com is really handy to keep in mind.

• Use fireworks outdoors only. (This should be obvious.)
• Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.
• Always have water handy. (A hose or bucket).
• Only use fireworks as intended. Don’t try to alter them or combine them.
• Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Use common sense. Spectators should keep a safe distance from the shooter and the shooter should wear safety glasses.
• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Have a “designated shooter.”
• Only persons over the age of 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type.
• Do not ever use homemade fireworks of illegal explosives: They can kill you! Report illegal explosives to the fire or police department in your community.

If you are experiencing a drought in your area, avoid shooting off fireworks above your house or the homes of others. A stray spark or a bottle rocket gone off course could set a rooftop on fire. A few pretty colors and a big boom aren’t worth losing your home or injuring those that you love.

2. If you’re having a picnic, make sure that your hot foods are grilled thoroughly and that your cold foods (especially ones that contain mayonnaise) are kept cold enough. In fact, according to What’s Cooking America, there’s a “two hour rule.”

Two Hour Rule. Don’t leave perishable food un-refrigerated for more than two hours. Put perishable foods back in the cooler or refrigerator as soon as you finish eating. Don’t leave them out while you go for a swim or a hike, and don’t leave them out all afternoon to nibble on.

If you feel like something is if-y (like if the sun moved the shade off of a table, thus “baking” some potato salad), it is always better to toss it and be safe than figure it is safe and make everyone at the party sick. If in doubt, pitch it!

3. Don’t forget the sunscreen. While it’s been cold here in the Midwest this week, it’s supposed to be sunny and in the 80’s on Saturday. That said, even on cloudy days, 80% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. (Trust me! I’ve been burnt on cloudy days.) Put your safe sunscreen on 15-30 minutes before heading outside and reapply every two hours or again after toweling off after a swim. (Don’t forget lips and the tops of feet!)

4. Don’t drink and drive! Obviously you should never be drinking and driving. However, just in case you think that you’re safe this weekend, you’re not. A holiday doesn’t magically exempt everyone from the rules of the road. Here in Ohio, a crackdown is planned on impaired drivers (through Monday). Fifteen people died in car accidents in Ohio during the 4th of July celebrations in 2008. “Almost half” of those were alcohol related. If you think you’re exempt because drunk driving accidents only happen to bad people and you, of course, fall under the heading of a “good person,” think again. Stop in and read Joy DeVere’s post at BlogHer which talks about how she lost her husband to a drunk driving accident and then was hit by a drunk driver herself. In short, save yourself and others: designate a driver.

From our family to yours, have a safe and Happy 4th of July! (I’m sure we’ll toss up a family picture from my Uncle’s wedding at some point in time over the weekend. I can’t guarantee we’ll be smiling. But we’ll be safe!)

It’s not like I meant to forget the sunscreen. I was trying to wrangle the boys and get their sunblock on before we left for a playdate with friends. I knew we would be outside the whole time and right at those hideous peak sun hours. Sunscreen was an absolute must. But kids will be kids and squealing and wiggling happen. By the time I got them appropriately covered, I simply forgot to put sunscreen on myself.

My shoulders, arms, chest and upper legs are now the color of a beautifully ripe tomato.

My face, however, is saved as my foundation has 15SPF already in it. Saved by a purchase by my maternal grandmother. I should send her a thank you note. Anyway, so, yes. I’m dealing with a pretty hefty and oddly lined sunburn this morning. It definitely doesn’t match my bathing suit lines. Or the shirt that I’m currently wearing. I almost feel the need to wear a turtleneck until this humiliation passes. I feel like a fourteen year old who got a hickey in the middle of summer; how do I hide this mess?

Of course, I feel better knowing that neither boy has a spot of burn on them. The fact remains that “overexposure to sunlight before age 18 is most damaging to the skin.” (Of course, daily unprotected exposure, even when it doesn’t result in a sunburn, is what causes the most damage.) I know I need to be more careful with myself. I’m fair skinned, freckled, moled and come from a family with a history of skin cancer. However, my boys are also fair skinned (though BB has both maternal and paternal grandfathers’ ability to tan), freckled, moled and come from two sides of a family with a history of skin cancer. They’re under eighteen. As such, they will always be my first priority when it comes to applying sunscreen. (More info here.)

Now if only I had someone to apply mine while I was taking care of the children. Do they make those?

Of course, our family also deals with the fact that the boys have sensitive skin. I recently decided not to listen to my better judgment and use some cheaper sunscreen. BigBrother broke out in hives. I know better. In fact, I know enough to pay attention to helpful lists like this one at Skimbaco Lifestyle. Knowing which sunscreens are safe and which are, well, really not is helpful in making my decision as well. (You know, if I could just remember to put it on my own darn skin.)

In the end, my sunburn has been a learning lesson for BigBrother. I showed him my bright red arms, at which point in time he had a great giggle. I explained that was what would happen if he didn’t let me put on the sunblock before we went outside to play. His eyes got sort of big and he agreed that sunblock was the way to go. He’s an easy sell. It’s the Wiggle Monster otherwise known as LittleBrother who tells me, “Tickles,” as he tries to roll away.

I’ll be more careful with myself for the rest of the summer. If only so I don’t look like a bright red tomato at the billion and twelve events I have to attend this summer. But if you need some visual proof as to the benefits of sunscreen, take a look at this picture from last night’s Meet & Greet after the Yanni concert in Columbus. Can you tell which one is me? The bright shining red one.

So, yes, trust me on the sunscreen.

[Head on over to the review blog to read more about my fantastic, sunburned night at the Yanni Voices concert.]